Student prizes awarded for 2016-17

June 12, 2017

The Department of Philosophy recently announced the winners for the Bechtel, Bowen, Carrier, and Adams awards for 2016-17.

The Bechtel Prize is funded through the generosity of Edwin Bechtel and is awarded to a graduate and undergraduate annually for the best essays on any philosophical subject. The Bowen Prize was established in 1938 by a bequest from Miss Maria Bowen as a memorial to her father, Francis Bowen, who held the Alford professorship of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity from 1853 to 1889. A graduate and undergraduate prize is conferred annually for the best essay upon a subject in moral or political philosophy. The Carrier Prize is awarded from the income of a fund established in 1974 for the Department of Philosophy by Beatrice Carrier Seegal in memory of her parents Emily and Charles Carrier. The prize is awarded to a College or Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student submitting a thesis or dissertation on a subject in social, political, or moral philosophy. Finally, the Adams Prize is awarded from the fund established in 1974 for the Department of Philosophy by Beatrice Carrier Seegal in memory of Professor George Plimpton Adams, who guided her philosophy studies at the University of California. This prize is awarded to a College or Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student submitting a thesis or dissertation on a subject designated by the Department of Philosophy, preferably in the field of history of philosophy.

The Department of Philosophy congratulates all of this year's prize recipients.

Bechtel PrizesUndergraduate: Aaron Suduiko for his essay, “The Players of Video Games Do Not Control the Avatars”Graduate: Becca Rothfeld for her essay, “Wide-Eyed and Legless: Bodies, Body-Schemas, and the Metaphysics of Illness”

Bowen PrizesUndergraduate: Jonathan Slifkin for his essay, “Constitutional Interpretation and Moral Reasons: A Comment on Raz”Graduate: Olivia Bailey for her essay, “Empathy and Testimonial Trust”

Carrier Award: Jeremy Fix for his dissertation, “Acting from Thought about Action”